Statue of Joseph Stalin | |
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de: Stalindenkmal | |
Artist | Grigory Postnikov |
Year | 1951 |
Medium | Bronze |
Subject | Joseph Stalin |
Dimensions | 4.8 m (16 ft) |
Location | Stalinallee, Berlin |
52°31′03″N 13°26′05″E / 52.5175°N 13.4347°E |
The Berlin Stalin statue (German: Stalindenkmal) was a bronze portrayal of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. A Komsomol delegation had presented the sculpture to the East Berlin government on the occasion of the Third World Festival of Youth and Students in 1951. The monument was formally dedicated on 3 August 1951 after temporary placement at a location on a newly designed and impressive boulevard, Stalinallee, being constructed at the time in what was then the Berlin district of Friedrichshain. Stalin monuments were generally removed from public view by the leadership of the Soviet Union and other associated countries, including East Germany, during the period of De-Stalinization. In Berlin the statue and all street signs designating Stalinallee were hastily removed one night in a clandestine operation and the street was renamed Karl-Marx-Allee and Frankfurter Allee. The bronze sculpture was smashed and the pieces were recycled.